A first small-band gear list: what to buy first and what to share

The most common gear mistake in a new band is buying the loud things first. For a band starting out, the priority order is almost the reverse of what the catalogue suggests.

Buy the things only you can use

Your instrument and your own amplification are personal. Everything else can be shared, borrowed, or provided by a venue. Start with an instrument that stays in tune and feels good to hold, and an amplifier sized for the rooms you will play — which, for a band in small venues, is smaller than most people expect.

A guitar amplifier that is comfortable at practice volume is the useful one. An amplifier that only opens up at a volume nobody can tolerate in a rehearsal room is a problem disguised as an upgrade. At a small show the instruments are mostly heard from their own amplifiers and the PA carries the voice; at practice the amplifier’s job is to be audible without masking the vocal.

The shared column

These are organisational problems more than shopping problems:

• Drums and cymbals. A practice kit lives wherever you rehearse. Cymbals travel. Agree in writing who owns what before money changes hands.
• A vocal microphone and a stand. Cheap, durable, and the single highest-value item on the list.
• Cables and spares. Buy two of everything you will need one of. A failed cable can stop a set, which is why spares are cheap insurance.
• A power supply and a long extension. Underrated. Venues have one socket in a bad place.

The PA question

For a small venue, a modest PA with a couple of vocal microphones and monitors is usually enough; the instruments are heard from their own amplifiers. The PA’s main job is the voice, and the second job is letting the band hear the voice. A big PA is not required for a small room and is a heavy thing to move.

If you are hiring rather than buying, the venue often provides one. Ask before you buy anything.

What to postpone

Recording equipment, a second guitar, more pedals, a bigger drum kit and anything with a screen. None of these appear on the critical path to playing a first show, and all of them compete for the same budget as practice time. Rehearsing costs almost nothing and improves the set more than any purchase on that list.

The cheap protection

Musician’s earplugs are generally cheaper than most effects pedals (a general price observation, not sourced). NIDCD advises: “Wear earplugs or other protective devices when involved in a loud activity.” They protect the one thing on the list you cannot replace. Buy them before you buy the second amplifier.

Sources

• NIDCD — Noise-Induced Hearing Loss — accessed 2026-10-28